Northwest Stone Fabricators LLC: Washington L&I silica citation

Silica dust: the findings

• Workers wet-cut, polish and grind stone with more than 85% crystalline silica, yet no exposure assessment for respirable crystalline silica was done. During the inspection, this was fixed.
• The employer had no written plan to control crystalline silica exposure. L&I must receive the plan by email, and the correction is due by 12/5/2021.
• Effective hazard communication training about respirable crystalline silica was not given to workers. L&I must get the training records by email, and the correction is due by 12/5/2021.

More hazards from this citation

• Areas where noise might hit 85 dBA or more had no noise monitoring. While the inspection was going on, this got fixed.
• Documentation of safety meetings was missing. Safety meeting records must be emailed by the employer, and its Accident Prevention Program must be updated, by 12/5/2021.

The employer's time to answer the citation: After the citation: Once the employer received it, 15 working days were allowed for an appeal. The employer's job was to fix the hazards by their due dates and send back a signed Employer Certification of Abatement form. Otherwise, follow-up action including penalties could follow. Before the correction due date, the employer could ask for an extension in writing.

For those who worked at Northwest Stone Fabricators

Most new cases of silicosis in the US now show up in shops cutting quartz and other engineered stone. You may have two claims if your job at Northwest Stone Fabricators in Redmond involved cutting, grinding, or polishing slabs: a lawsuit against the businesses that made the stone, plus workers' comp through the employer's insurance.